


One Year Later

by huffellepuff



Category: She Loves Me - Bock/Harnick/Masteroff
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, and not even regular fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 3,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8906620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huffellepuff/pseuds/huffellepuff
Summary: Christmastime for Nowacks, originally written for the SLM secret santa.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [servethenuts](http://servethenuts.tumblr.com) for the SLM Secret Santa, thus the possibly a little awkward 12 chapter format.  
> Thanks to [perhapsthatllwork](http://perhapsthatllwork.tumblr.com/) for organizing the SS and as always to Emmett for reading it over.
> 
> Let the cheesy fluff begin!

Amalia sighed happily as she looked at her husband, who was busy hanging brightly colored baubles on the tree. She had always loved Christmas time, but this year she almost felt like a kid again. They had been married ten months now yet everything still seemed so new. It had only been a year since she thought she hated the man she was now married to. She laughed as the remembered the absurd, delightful, and nerve wracking two weeks that bridged the gap between hatred and love. 

“What’s so funny, dear?” Georg asked, looking amused. 

“I’m just happy,” she replied, grinning at him. “I was thinking about where we were a year ago, how silly and foolish we were, and where we are now.”

He grinned back at her, that goofy, sideways grin she loved so much.

“Oh, Mrs. Nowack, would you look at that…” He pointed behind her and, as she turned, she felt his arms wrap around her waist. “There’s mistletoe right above you.”

“So there is…” She giggled and leaned forward to meet his lips. 

At this moment, there was nowhere she’d rather than be than in that tiny apartment, kissing her husband by the light of the Christmas tree.


	2. Chapter 2

By the end of the evening, their apartment was thoroughly covered in lights, tinsel, and garland.

“You don’t think it’s too much, do you?” Georg asked, looking around with uncertainty.

“No, it’s perfect,” she said, grinning as she looked around. “I love this season so much.”

“You say that now, but just remember Christmas at the shop last year…”

“I do remember! It wasn’t _that_ bad, though I was admittedly a little bit distracted.”

“Ah, yes, distracted by my manly charms?” He waggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed.

“Distracted by wondering why it was taking you so long to speak up,” she teased. “Though your charms _may_ have been an additional source of distraction.”

“Hey now, you didn’t say anything either,” he said, tapping her nose with his finger. 

“Well I didn’t know! At least, not with absolute certainty, unlike _you_.” This time she tapped his nose, grinning in triumph as if they hadn’t had this exact argument a hundred times before. “Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t invited you and Dear Friend for Christmas Eve.”

“I would have said something eventually! At least, I hope I would have.” He laughed. “But of course, you’re right, dear. You saved the day.”

“Of course I did. But you’re right about work. We’d better get to bed, it’s likely to be a rough day tomorrow.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Georg’s predictions were proven right. The shop was packed not five minutes after opening and it was several hours until there was a enough of a lull in customers for them to take any breaks.

“Is it just me or is this even more exhausting than this time last year?” Amalia asked her coworkers, all of whom were practically draped over their counters.

“It could be. It’s only the 15th, can you imagine how much worse it’ll get?” Ladislav said with a sigh. “Luckily, we have a nice evening to look forward to.”

She beamed at him. “Georg and I are so excited to have everyone over. Our first official Christmas party!”

“I’m sure it’ll be lovely, Amalia. By chance, will you be serving eggnog? Or at least wine?” Ilona asked in feigned innocence.

“Yes, there will be drinks, Ilona. But is an evening with us really so dull you have to ask?” Amalia pursed her lips, trying to appear serious though she was stifling a laugh.

“Oh, no! I’m quite refined now, you know, under Paul’s tutelage, so I’m quite happy to discuss books and music. And I do always enjoy a visit in your lovely home. I just enjoy it even more with alcohol,” she replied, shrugging.

“How flattering,” Georg said with a chuckle. “Oh, we’d better get ready, I see more customers headed our way…”


	4. Chapter 4

By the time they closed, Amalia nearly regretted having planned their Christmas party for a work night, but it was too late to turn back now. They were out of the shop at 7 and ready for guests at 8.

At 8:01, there was already a knock at the door. She took a breath, preparing herself for hostess mode as Georg went to get the door.

“Hello, Arpad!” Georg said from the other room.

“Hi Mr. Nowack! I hope I’m not too late. Or too early. Is one supposed to arrive late for these things?” Arpad asked, sounding endearingly young and eager.

“You’re right on time, Arpad, don’t worry about it,” he replied, and Amalia could hear the smirk in his voice.

Before long, everyone had arrived: Ladislav and his wife, Ilona and Paul, and Mr. Maraczek.

“There’s certainly a lot of tinsel in here,” Ilona said as she poured herself another glass of eggnog. “I like it. It suits you.”

“I’ll admit, I think we’ve gone a little above and beyond. Christmas is just such a special time for us, you know.” Amalia sighed happily. “It must be similar for you and Paul, it was this time last year you met him.”

“It is,” Ilona said, looking fondly at the rings on her left finger. “But we’re not quite the romantics the two of you are. How many anniversaries do you have?”

“Well...three that really count.” She laughed, knowing how silly that sounded. “But they’re all for different things. One for the night things started to change - not a good night, but an important one nonetheless. One for the night we were finally on the same page about it all and got engaged, and then of course our wedding anniversary.”

The evening passed quickly, with much laughter and joy. Amalia frequently thought about how grateful she was for the fact that she enjoyed everyone she worked with (as of a year ago, at least). Arpad was like a nephew to dote on, Ilona and Ladislav friends, and Mr. Maraczek a father figure. Having grown up with only her mother and a few distant relatives, she was thankful for her new family.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week passed in much the same way, only without the parties and with more customers each day. It was utterly exhausting and she was not feeling her best, but she was determined to keep her spirits up. Not even work could ruin the season for her. And today, finally, they had a day to recover. Being married to the manager had some benefits, such as being granted a day off right before Christmas.

She awoke that morning to the familiar feeling of Georg’s arm draped across her body. Realizing that they didn’t have to get up, she snuggled closer to him. Before him, she had never imagined how truly content a person’s embrace could make her feel.

“Mmph,” he mumbled, squeezing her tighter as he began to wake up. “Timesit?”

“It’s just after 8,” she said, and was dismayed to feel him pull away. “Oh, but we don’t have to out of bed yet, do we?”

“I’ve got a couple of things planned” he said.

“Are they really better than this?” she said, pouting as she put his arm back around her.

“No, I suppose not,” he said, unable to contain a smile. “My plans can wait a bit.”


	6. Chapter 6

That afternoon, she got to see what Georg had had planned for them.

“Ice skating?” Amalia asked skeptically. “I never took you for the skating type, dear. Are you sure about this?”

“Well, you were right about that, I am most certainly _not_ the skating type, but you are. So I figured I could give it another go, it’s probably been a decade since I last tried.” He shrugged as if he didn’t care, but she could tell he was nervous.

“If you’re sure…” she said, her excitement battling her concern for her husband. She hadn’t gone skating in years, but she used to absolutely adore it.

“I am. Besides, with you there helping me, how bad could it be?”

The answer was: still pretty bad, though not quite disastrous. They began with him holding the wall while she skated slowly near, but before long he insisted she go at her own pace. It all came back to her rather easily, but Georg couldn’t seem to get it down. He fell no less than ten times after she had gone to skate on her own, and despite his consistent protests that he was “fine,” she decided she had to go put him out of his misery.

“Georg, we should probably get going,” she said, coming to a stop in front of him.

“No, no, it’s fine, I see you having fun out there, we can stay…” he said, gripping the wall like a vice.

“I appreciate that, but I think I’m done too. I’m starting to feel a little queasy, skating all those circles around you…” She smirked, unable to resist a little tease. It wasn’t inaccurate, either. “Let’s go get some coffee and warm up. Thank you for taking me skating.”

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before taking his hand and guiding him off of the ice.


	7. Chapter 7

By that evening, Georg seemed to have recovered from their skating adventure and they were preparing to go caroling with the Sipos family. 

“Georg, have you seen my shoe?” Amalia asked, looking underneath the sofa. “I don’t understand how it could have strayed so far from its pair in only a few hours…”

“You have a gift, my dear,” he said with chuckle. “Have you checked in the kitchen? There’s no reason for it to be there, so that’s probably where it is.”

“Very funny, Georg. I don’t…” She trailed off as she spotted the shoe under the kitchen table. 

“You were saying?” he asked, smirking at her. 

“Well, at least I can keep the ice under my feet,” she said primly as she put on the errant shoe. “Anyway, are you about ready? We’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon.”

He laughed, pulling her close and giving her a quick kiss. “Yes, I’m ready.”

They spent the brief walk to the Sipos home holding hands and discussing Christmas plans. Their anniversary was Christmas Eve, but dinner at her mother’s was not a tradition to be dismissed. So on the 24th they would go to dinner after work, but Christmas day would be just for them. And the days leading up to then would be a rush of work, baking, and shopping.

She stopped suddenly, almost causing Georg to trip. “Georg! I just realized that we didn’t bring gifts for the kids.”

“Oh, Ladislav won’t mind,” he said.

“I know he won’t, but the kids might. I have a reputation to uphold. Holidays and birthdays, I am required to provide gifts if I want to keep my preferred status.” She adored Ladislav’s children and was not above bribing them for their continued affection. “We have to go pick something up.”

“Fine,” he sighed, as she dragged him back towards the nearest childrens’ store.


	8. Chapter 8

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Sipos home.

“Georg, Amalia, welcome!” Ladislav said as he invited them inside. “We were worried you wouldn’t make it.”

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” Georg said, looking apologetic. “We had a quick stop to make.”

“Mr. Nowack! Mrs. Nowack!” Lilla, a girl of 7, came running up to them. 

“Hello, Lilla!” Amalia said, bending down to receive a hug from the girl. “Where’s your brother? We brought something for you.”

Just then, Peter appeared around the corner, pushing his sister out of the way to hug Amalia. “Did you say you have presents?”

“It’s Christmas time, of course I do. These are from both Mr. Nowack and me.” She pulled their gifts from her coat, laughing at the eager looks on their faces. Within seconds, wrapping paper was strewn about the floor and the kids were playing with their new toys.

“We should get going,” Ladislav said. “Children, say thank you to the Nowacks and get your coats on.”

They were soon back outside and on their way. Amalia hadn’t really been caroling before, though she had always enjoyed singing, and she was having a wonderful time. Now and then as they sang, Georg would catch her eye and give her a smile that made her feel so content. She was excited to build new traditions with him and hoped this would become one of them.


	9. Chapter 9

The days before Christmas always seemed to slip by too quickly, leaving too much to do with far too little time to do it in. Before she knew it, it was December 23rd and she had yet to make the dessert for dinner tomorrow _or_ get a present for Georg. She wanted to get him something special and none of her ideas felt like enough.

After work, she set straight to work in the kitchen. It wasn’t truly Christmas Eve dinner without bejgli and, since she was a teenager, the responsibility fell to her. 

“Are you sure I can’t help you?” Georg asked, popping his head into the kitchen. “I feel bad not contributing…”

“Thank you, dear, but I’ve seen your baking skills. It may be best if you avoid the kitchen altogether.” 

“At least let me be your assistant. I can hand you things!” he said as he started inching into the kitchen.

She tried and failed to stifle a giggle. “Oh, fine. Can you bring me the flour?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, bowing as he presented the flour canister.

She rolled her eyes as she took the canister, determined not to give into his antics. After all, there was important work to be done. 

Somehow, they managed to get through making the dough and the filling without incident. Georg was so studious that it was silly, but he at least stayed out of the way. That is, until it was time to roll the dough.

“Now, this is surely something I can help with. I can’t possibly mess up rolling dough, now can I?” he asked, pouting.

Amalia looked at him hard, debating her choices. He most certainly could mess that part up, but she did have enough dough for two rolls.

“Okay. First, sprinkle some flour on the counter…” she said, flinching as he dumped at least a cup out. “Oh, no, Georg, that’s too much, here, let me show you.”

She scooted in next to him and pushed most of the flour to the side, leaving an appropriate amount for rolling. As she began working with the dough, she could feel him looking at her.

“If you want to learn, look at my hands, not my face,” she said, feeling a blush creep up on her cheeks. They’d been married for ten months, it wasn’t fair he could still make her blush like that.

“Sorry, you just look very beautiful when you’re being bossy,” he said, booping her nose with his flour covered finger. 

Without thinking, she flicked some of the massive flour pile at him in retaliation and thus started the war.

Needless to say, by the end of the evening they were very messy and very happy, even if they only managed to salvage one of the bejgli rolls.


	10. Chapter 10

Christmas Eve at work was, same as last year, an absolute madhouse. Fortunately, Mr. Maraczek had been convinced to close an hour earlier than usual, providing a little more relief (and just enough time for Amalia to pick up a present for Georg). 

“What a night!” she said, plopping down onto a stool as soon as the last customer was gone.

“No worse than last year, but I’m glad it’s over,” Ilona said as she turned the radio on and Christmas music began to fill the room.

Everyone chatted as they closed their counters, except Amalia. She was in her own world, focusing on her duties so she could get out and shop. It wasn’t until Georg walked over to her with his hand out that she realized he had asked her something.

“May I have this dance?” he repeated, smirking as she startled. Their favorite song was playing on the radio. 

“Oh! Yes.” Her husband was usually not much of a dancer, so she never passed up an opportunity. He took her hand in his and placed the other on her waist. 

They swayed gently, going in slow circles. Amalia knew that the others were still around them, but she didn’t care. She leaned her head on his shoulder and got lost in the moment.

“Happy anniversary,” he whispered and placed a kiss on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a moment, until a realization dawned on her.

She gasped and pulled away from him.

“Amalia, are you alright?” he asked, concern on his face.

“Oh, yes! I’m fine! I just remembered, I have to run to a store before we go to mother’s tonight, so I had better get going…” 

“Okay…” He trailed off, clearly still concerned. “I’ll go get my things.”

“No, no, you head home and I’ll meet you there soon. Everything is good, I promise.” She kissed his cheek and ran to grab her coat. Finally, she figured out the perfect gift.


	11. Chapter 11

When Amalia arrived back home, she was breathless, giddy, and just a tiny bit late.

“There you are!” Georg said, looking exasperated. “You left work so quickly and without real explanation, I’m a little worried about you.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you, I’m fine, really. More than fine. I just had to pick up a last minute gift.” She pulled the wrapped box from the bag and set it underneath the tree. “You’ll understand when we get back from mother’s.”

She wrapped her arms about him and kissed him, leaving him slightly dazed when she pulled away.

“Uh, should we, uh, get going?” he asked. Amalia was thrilled she could still do that to him.

“Yes, let’s.” She grabbed the presents and food to take to her mother’s and led her husband out the door.

As they walked, she thought about last Christmas Eve. All the hope, anticipation, fear...all resulting in so much joy.

“This time last year, we were doing the same thing, yet things couldn’t be more different now,” Georg said, giving her hand a squeeze.

“I was just thinking about that. I was so nervous.” 

“You think _you_ were nervous, I felt like I was risking everything by saying something. I was so torn about what to do.”

“I was terrified that you weren’t actually Dear Friend, that I was falling for you while still loving him and had just convinced myself that it was you because it’d be so much easier. Or even worse, that you were Dear Friend and you hadn’t said anything because you didn’t actually feel that way about me.”

“I know,” he said. “I felt so bad for hiding it, I was so scared you’d reject me. But you certainly made your feelings on that known rather quickly.”

Amalia laughed, remembering how quickly she went from relief and joy to just a wee bit of anger. She had shoved him and asked why he kept it a secret for so damn long.

“Well, you deserved it. But you’re lucky you’re so cute, it didn’t take me too long to forgive you.”

“No, a fact for which I’ve forever grateful,” he said, giving her the smile that always made her feel weak in the knees.

“As am I. Well, here’s to the all of the wonderful changes that have occurred over the last year and to all the exciting ones we’ll face next year,” she said, motioning her free hand as if raising a glass.

“Cheers,” he said, following suit.


	12. Chapter 12

Dinner at her mother’s passed as it usually does, with lots of joy and food and love. Last year, her mother sort of interrogated Georg, but they have since developed an easy rapport. 

It was nearly midnight by the time they got home.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sleep for the next year or so,” Georg said through a yawn.

“We can’t go to bed yet!” she said, pulling on his sleeve to stop him. “There are presents to open.”

“You don’t want to wait until tomorrow?” 

“I couldn’t possibly wait.” She ran over to the tree and sat down, patting the floor next to her. “Come on!”

“Do you want to open yours first, or should I open mine?” He gave her a questioning look.

“I better open mine first,” she said. He handed her the box underneath the tree.

She carefully removed the wrapping paper and was delighted to find a first edition collection of _War and Peace_. “Oh, Georg, they’re beautiful, thank you!”

“I know you already have a copy - I mean, we both have copies, technically - but it seemed too nice to pass up.”

“It’s lovely, really. Thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss, before setting down the books and grabbing his present. “Now you.”

She could hardly breathe as she waited for him to open the package. He was trying not to rip the paper, and she had to stop herself from taking it off for him. Finally, he had the box open, and he looked puzzled.

“It certainly is...frilly,” he said, slowly lifting the item. “What is it...wait, is this a baby gown?”

“Yes…” she said, giving him a significant look.

“Why would I - ” He stopped, his eyes widening as realization hit. “Oh! Amalia! Are you?”

“Yes!” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. 

He quickly pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tightly. When they separated, Georg had tears in his eyes.

“How long have you known?” he asked, a look of awe on his face as his hand returned to her stomach.

“Honestly, I only just figured it out. I’ve been so distracted that I missed all of the signs, but today at work it hit me. I haven’t been to a doctor yet, but I’m positive.” She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. “So, you’re happy?”

He looked up at her with surprise. “Of _course_ I’m happy!”

“Good. I am too,” she said, beaming at him.

“I love you, Mrs. Nowack.” He leaned in, cupping her face in his hands.

“And I love you, Mr. Nowack.” 

And as he kissed her, she couldn’t imagine a more perfect Christmas. At least, not until next year.


End file.
